


I'm Falling Closer to Home

by lostin_space



Series: Alex Manes Week 2020❤️️ [4]
Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: Alex Manes Week 2020, Alternate Universe, Comfort, Fluff, Hugs, Intimacy, Jesse Manes is His Own Warning, M/M, Showers, mentions of the shed incident
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-26
Updated: 2020-06-26
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:21:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,486
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24926854
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lostin_space/pseuds/lostin_space
Summary: They take a shower and Alex slowly becomes re-accustomed to intimacy.
Relationships: Michael Guerin/Alex Manes
Series: Alex Manes Week 2020❤️️ [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1798477
Comments: 17
Kudos: 124
Collections: Roswell New Mexico ▶ Michael Guerin / Alex Manes





	I'm Falling Closer to Home

**Author's Note:**

> day 5 of alex appreciation week: fluff/smut
> 
> as per usual, if i forgot any tags, let me know
> 
> title: i was going to call you from lizard boy

“Shh!”

“I’m _trying,_ Jesus Christ.”

“That’s definitely not my name.”

Alex rolled his eyes, taking a deep breath as he tried to keep himself calm and quiet. It was the first day they were going back to school after the whole _incident_ in the shed and Alex was anxious. He had no idea what people would say when they saw Michael’s hand and he had no idea if his father was going to show up there to look for him. He supposed he wouldn’t since he had to know that Alex was with Michael, but still. It didn’t sway his worries.

That being said, Michael’s _brilliant_ idea of how to calm him down was to wake him up at 5 in the morning. Alex wasn’t opposed to seeing his pretty face as a way to calm down, but the sound of Michael’s dad’s footsteps going down the stairs so he could go to work had him crawling out of his skin. Michael laid heavily on top of him to make sure he got all of his attention.

“Let’s go take a shower,” Michael suggested, flashing a suggestive little smile. Alex was hesitant to agree. Michael’s hand was still healing and it was wrapped up tight in his makeshift cast. On top of that, he was still taking painkillers every day. It’d only been a week... “Stop looking at me like that, you’re such an angry old man.”

“I’m 17, I’m not old.”

“Most 17-year-olds wouldn’t turn down the chance to shower with their boyfriend,” Michael said in a sing-song voice, nudging his nose teasingly against Alex’s. It brought a reluctant smile to his face. “But if you don’t wanna, I guess I’ll just have to go have fun by myself.”

Michael pushed off the bed and started heading to the bathroom attached to his bedroom, already shirtless and dropping his sweats on the walk there. Alex sighed softly, ignoring his better judgment and pushing himself up to follow. He was definitely a little helpless when it came to him. 

It’d been a week since they got any real alone time since Nora had a door-open rule. Which was fine. Alex hadn’t really been in the mood anyway. Not when he had a constant reminder of what happened.

But he was working on getting back to normal and the next step was definitely to stop treating Michael like he was fragile.

So he followed and felt utter relief when the bathroom door closed behind him and nothing bad happened. The lock clicked itself, the shower turned on by itself, and Michael grinned all proudly at Alex.

“See? I’m back to normal,” he said. Alex licked his lips. He didn’t think they’d ever be like they were before... but he could accept that they were allowed a new normal. And if that involved Michael showing off like before, well, that was simply a happy coincidence.

“I’m sorry if I’ve been annoying by treating you differently. I just don’t wanna hurt you,” Alex said. Michael rolled his eyes as dramatically as possible, stepping up to Alex and pressing him into the wall.

“You’re not hurting me. The only way you’ve hurt me was by spending all week pretending I’m not your boyfriend. I still am, aren't I?” Michael clarified. Alex nodded without hesitation. “Well, then, I’m fine. We’re fine. Now I would like to go back to where you weren’t scared to touch me.”

“I don’t want to give your mom a reason to kick me out,” Alex said. It was definitely a half-truth. He was definitely scared to touch him because he didn’t want Nora to feel like he’d betrayed her. But he was also scared for a completely different reason, one that involved Alex’s parent, not Michael’s. 

“She’s not gonna, she loves you,” Michael assured him, eyes flickering around his face like he could read between the lines. Alex wouldn’t put it past him if he could. Michael leaned close. “Let’s start slow and you can tell me when it’s too much, okay?” 

With a deep breath, Alex nodded.

Michael pressed a soft kiss to his lips and Alex let his eyes fall closed, focusing on his lips rather than anything else. That was easy. He forgot how much he missed his kisses, honestly. His hands went to Michael’s hips, earning a sweet smile. The bathroom was slowly filling with steam and it was just another thing to help distance Alex from his worries.

They only pulled apart so that Alex could strip and Michael could put a bag over his makeshift cast so the shower wouldn’t fuck it up. It was probably the least sexy thing in the world and the crinkling that came with every move he made had them both giggling, but it was good. It kept Alex’s brain light.

They stepped into the shower and Micahel took his place directly beneath the stream. He liked the water hotter than Alex, probably something to do with his higher body temperature, and it took Alex a moment to adjust. That didn’t stop them from kissing more.

Hands slid over wet skin, every bit of it soothing. Micahel kept his bad hand out of the way, typically just resting cautiously on Alex’s hip. It gave his left-hand free reign. Alex kept his hands on his face and his arms and his sides. Michael’s skin was warm and welcoming which made it easy to just press in close.

It wasn’t until Alex slowly backed him into the wall and pressed him there, though, that Michael gave that unrelenting smirk. It felt like a century had passed since he saw that, but he knew it’d really only been a week. Still, the absence of the hot water made chills rise to Michael’s skin and Alex ducked his head to his neck and his shoulder, warming him with hot kisses.

“I missed you,” Michael breathed as Alex pressed their hips together just a little harder. He had no actual intention to do anything more than that, he really wasn’t ready, but he was okay with this and the safety that Michael’s house gave him.

“I’ve been right here all week, every day,” Alex told him, kissing behind his ear for emphasis.

“Not what I meant,” Michael said honestly. He didn’t elaborate and Alex didn’t need him to. He missed Alex’s confidence, he missed Alex’s strength. Alex missed it too. “I love you either way, but... I like it when you’re happier.”

“I’m always happy as long as I’ve got you this close.”

Michael let out the softest little laugh and Alex wrapped his arms around him, squeezing him in a hug so tight that he almost lifted him off his feet. Michael clung to him just the same.

“You know what I mean though,” Michael went on, tilting his head to catch his eye. Alex stared at him for a moment and nodded. “You can always talk to me.”

“I know.”

“Yeah, but you seem all scared you’re gonna break me or somethin’,” Michael pointed out, “But you’re not. I swear. I’m not, like, a porcelain doll.”

Alex sighed, “Michael, I--” 

“Shh, I know it’s hard and things feel weird, but we’re in this together now, for better or for worse. So stop walking on eggshells and stop thinking you need to be cautious. I’m okay and I’m not going anywhere. You’re stuck with me.”

Alex didn’t know quite how to explain to Michael just how those words struck him. They seemed to hit him in the heart and bury themselves there, bleeding warmth and love through his system. It slowly became a little more clear that Michael’s home felt safe because _Michael_ was his home. 

“I love you,” Alex told him sincerely. Michael smiled.

“I love you too.”

Alex bowed his face into the crook of his neck, hugging him close as he slowly adjusted to put him back under the water so he didn’t get too cold. Michael held onto him and kissed anywhere he could reach before just pressing his nose into Alex’s shoulder.

They stood there for awhile, basking in each other and this new boundary they had to set again. Alex wondered how hard it would be when he wanted to push things even further. He didn’t like that his father was in his mind all the time, but at least he had Michael there. And not only Michael, but he had friends and he had Michael’s parents who welcomed him.

Alongside his father, he also had Ezra, Michael’s father, in his mind. _It’s not your fault. You don’t deserve to be abused._ One day, he hoped it would be louder than his own father.

For right now, though, he could rely on Michael’s presence to help him quiet all the noises.

“C’mon, we gotta get ready for school,” Michael whispered, “I’m thinking of telling everyone I got attacked by a bear.”

“Good idea.”

**Author's Note:**

> also on my tumblr: spaceskam


End file.
